Crescent Processing Company Review

Crescent Processing Companyappears to be out of business. This review is archived and will no longer be updated. Check out our other reviews to find the best credit card processing company for your business.

Overview:

Since we last paid Crescent Processing Company (CPC) a visit, things are not looking good. They have an enormous number of complaints and all the hallmarks of a rip off processor. We had hoped that they would straighten out, get with the times, fire all the scamming agents, and earn an extra star or two from us. Well – what’s the opposite of that?

After accumulating even more complaints – an unforgivable amount at this point – and creating such a convoluted series of company names that even we didn’t know what to call them, they seem to have settled on Future Payment Technologies. If you’ve done business with any of the following companies, you’ve actually done business with Future:

Future Payment Technologies

Park Central Company

Atrium Processing

They have seemingly paired everything down to just Future, so at least they’re getting some focus. But there’s more to being a top processor than just a name change and the current information is far from encouraging.

This company’s Achilles Heel (and keystone) is its use of independent sales agents. These agents are very often poorly trained, desperate, inexperienced salespeople just looking to close a deal and collect their commission. Some of the Crescent/Future agents probably do a great job, but – based on everything I read – most do not. Instead they fail to disclose important contract terms, push expensive agreements, and use overall dishonest sales tactics to produce a service that can only be described as a rip off and a scam.

My advice: Avoid Crescent/Future and all associated companies like the plague. I’m giving them 2.5 stars only because of the few positive reviews I’ve read here and there. If you do choose to do business with this company, be very careful and be sure to read your contract with a magnifying glass. Some of their sales agents feel very strongly that this is a good company to do business with (as evidenced in our comments section). But I think you could do better than Crescent/Future.

Check out the full review for more information, or skip it and take a look at our featured providers instead. Please comment with your thoughts!

Products and Services:

Since I do not currently have access to Crescent’s/Future’s primary sales material (since the site is not active for the time being), I will keep this list brief.

Merchant accounts: Last I head, Crescent/Future uses TSYS for its processing. I more or less like TSYS, so this isn’t bad news.

Terminal leasing: If you’ve read any of my reviews already, you know that terminal leasing has the potential to cost you thousand of dollars when the machine itself is only worth a couple hundred. Check out this article for more information.

Fees and Rates:

Crescent Processing discloses no specific fees or rates. They seem to use tiered pricing models almost exclusively, which usually means a bad deal for merchants because of decreased cost transparency. For the vast majority of businesses, cost-plus pricing plans will give you the most value and most control.

Contract Length and Early Termination Fee:

The standard Crescent Processing contract is for four years with a $495 early termination fee. Many merchants have complained about non-disclosure of this fee, and non-disclosure of the auto-renewal clause located in this company’s standard contract. If you do choose to use Crescent/Future, please negotiate this down. Many providers have no early termination fees!

Sales and Advertising Transparency:

While I cannot currently review the Crescent Processing public sales information since their site is inactive, I can tell you what I’ve heard from merchants who used this company’s services. Merchants complain (profusely) about their sales experience with Crescent/Future agents. If you read our comments section, you’ll see a fair number of examples from merchants who did and did not sign up with Crescent/Future.

Since there appears to be a high turnover rate for Crescent Processing agents, you’ve got a good chance of a brand new and highly inexperienced agent who probably doesn’t understand the Crescent/Future products any better than you do. This leads to many important contract terms being left out of the discussion, and a dangerous mixture of lies and mistaken information that leads to very angry merchants down the road. They’ve got some great agents, I’m sure, but not enough to sway me here. If you know and trust your agent, then maybe it’s worth it to you. But be careful.

Customer Service and Technical Support:

Many merchants around the web complain of poor customer support. Our comments section also features a number of business owners who back up this claim. As a reviewer, it’s difficult for me to assess the real-world performance of Crescent’s/Future’s customer support for account-specific and technical issues. So please, if you have insights, leave me a comment!

Negative Reviews and Complaints:

You can find the Future Payment Technologies BBB profile here. It has an A rating, with 355 complaints in the last 36 months. This is way, way too many complaints for an independent sales office of this size. As a point of reference: Chase Paymentech processes exponentially more than Crescent/Future yet has under 60 complaints at the moment.

Poorly trained independent sales reps: This is probably the number one complaint I read about Crecent, and all other complaints tend to stem from this. But don’t take my word for it…

“The rep was a poorly educated young lady that my wife felt a great deal of empathy for, but she arrived with no printed material to leave behind, no business card, and no training of significance.”

“I was contacted by phone a couple of days ago and visited by a rep today. He told me the video presentation on his computer would contain the specifics of the contract. In fact it was an infomercial. He was vague on some terms, and called his supervisor to ask some questions, so I figured he was very new and nervous; I didn’t realized until the end that he was not an employee.”

Undisclosed fees and contract terms: It’s possible that the reps are actually doing this by accident, since many appear to not even understand the contracts they are selling. That fact does little to soothe the wounds of merchants stuck in long-term contracts with early termination fees that sales agents manage to gloss over.

Poor customer service: While you can find a few merchants across the web who allegedly love the customer service they’ve received from Crescent/Future, the overwhelming majority of reports I read cited sup-par support as a major deterrent.

Expensive lease contracts: Let me save my breath and just direct you to this article. Terminal leases are almost never a good idea, and can end up costing you thousands of dollars.

Positive Reviews and Testimonials:

You can read a few positive remarks mixed in with the damning reviews on the Google reviews page, but not enough to make much of a difference in my mind. Their Google review rating is currently 2.6 stars.

If these positive reviews are genuine, it means that – at best – Crescent/Future provides extremely inconsistent sales and support experiences. I’m not impressed.

Final Verdict:

I have no doubt that some merchants are satisfied with the service offered by Crescent Processing Company, and that some of this company’s sales agents are honest and knowledgeable. But some isn’t enough to get my seal of approval. I’ve seen far too many reports of unethical sales practices and overall sub-par service from Crescent/Future. Their reselling program seems bad for agents and bad for merchants.

If you’ve had a different experience with Crescent/Future, I invite you to speak up in our comments section. Or if you’ve been burned by Crescent/Future, please comment as well. A company’s reputation is a constantly changing thing, but at the moment I don’t have much hope for the future of this company. 2.5 stars doesn’t cut it for me. If you agree, we can help you find a processor that suits your needs.

Tom loves asking tough questions and getting straight answers, so he has a lot of fun calling payment processors for Merchant Maverick to cut through their smoke and mirrors and find the real deals. He has run a full-time editorial business from his home in New York’s Hudson Valley since 2010 and could not imagine a better job. When not busy writing and keeping credit card processors honest, Tom enjoys backpacking in the mountains.

63 Comments

Matt February 28, 2016 at 3:42 pm

We signed up with Crescent Processing who now operates as Future Payment Technologies.

I am very unhappy. Long term contract that I am stuck in because of my father who was fooled into signing up. The rates are higher than anywhere else I have seen. It’s always very hard to understand the actual rates being taken out because they vary for each transaction. They also don’t provide very good reports to see the actual fee breakdown. Many times the fee names are very vague and it’s hard to know what they are even for. I was hit with an unexpected $98 corporate fee which I don’t see in the contract and there doesn’t seem to be any good reason that would be added. There are a number of various fees they take out which really make this one of the most expensive payment processors you could choose.

Their fees tend to be about 5% taken out of each transaction. Then there is also an additional Merch Fees withdrawal taken each month. Just their Merch fees withdrawal is about the same as the total amount I would pay with other processors. Then add the money that is already being taken out of each transaction and it’s just way too much. The final rate probably ends up being closer to %8 when I add the numbers up.

If you are a seasonable business then absolutely do not sign up with this company. If the high rates weren’t bad enough you will also be hit with around $45 of merch fees taken out each month if you have no payments to process that month.

If you want to cancel early that also costs a few hundred dollars. If you have more than a year left on your contract it’s definitely worth it just to get out!

Stay far away from this company!

1

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

Very unhappy. Long term contract that I am stuck in because of my father who was fooled into signing up. The rates are higher than anywhere else I have seen. It’s always very hard to understand the actual rates being taken out because they vary for each transaction. They also don’t provide very good reports to see the actual fee breakdown.

If you are a seasonable business then absolutely do not sign up with this company. If the high rates weren’t bad enough you will also be hit with around $45 of merch fees taken out each month if you have no payments to process that month.

Random $98 corporate fee added which were not aware of.

If you want to cancel early that also costs a couple hundred dollars.

Stay far away from this company.

1

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

These thieves don’t earn 1 Star, A ZERO is much more accurate. I Hate to admit but I worked for this Outfit for 1 day. (08/14/2015) I had 3 so called leads. And I ran 16 (Cold Calls) speaking with Merchants. My 1st lead was a towing company in Nicholasville, KY, 1st Lead didn’t go to well, it was KB Towing owned by kevin that was tied in with his Fathers used car lot. I spoke with kevin and he tells me “I will have to wait for his Father”. I sat in my truck and waited around 30mins, his father arrived and I waited probably another 10 mins before I went inside buisness. I introduced myself to his father and told him why i was there I said “I am here to save you money on credit card processing” His father declined so I called my Boss (LOL) When I was training I was never to use the word BOSS but to refer to him as Customer support team. So I put MR BRANDON on the phone to speak with Father. Phone is handed back to me and he say’s this is (2 buisness) talk with Kevin. I could tell that kevins dad was pulling the springs and he was still in the same small office. I opened my Tablet to show Video (LOL) another word I was never to use. So I asked “Can I show you something” Video gets about half way through and they asked me to leave. I am pretty persistant so I try to show them the different types of terminals and being EMV compliant by Oct 1st 2015 and the repercussions if they are not. That’s when they say “Leave or we will call the police” Well thats good enough for me, so I drive down the street a little ways and call my BOSS (LOL) I Tell him what had transpired and he says just work the area for potential Buisness and call me back in 45mins (Which i didn’t talking to him every 1/2 hr just meant I would not be speaking with buisness owners) being such a GENUIS he should know that is (COUNTER PRODUCTIVE). I worked the area (COLD CALLING) I went to every buisness that was open. I worked 1 whole side of the street, then the opposite side Door to Door. Anyways I did not get a yes from anyone. I talked to owners of 19 buisness from 9:00am to 6:30pm Thank God I never sold a Merchant anything. I have the World at my fingertips as most of us do. The (INTERNET) And I partly blame myself for not doing my Homework. I am 45yrs old and I have made an HONEST living my whole life. In reality I am still Employed by Futurepay Tech, I already have appointments in my E-mail for Monday 08/17/2015. To sum it up 08/14/2015 was my 1st and last day. I will not alter my MORALS for anyone. Reading all these Comments makes me feel ashamed, that I could have potentialy STOLE some buisness owners money for my own gain. **** Futurepay Crescent or whoever the **** you are. There is a special place for all of ya down below. MARK WICKLINE

1

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

I would give less stars if I could. It would take more time than I have to recount every issue I have with them. Right from the beginning they lied. They told me I had to sign something showing that I was receiving a copy of the rates, but that I could think about our meeting and make a decision later. The rep pulled a bait and switch. After I read the document, I signed where he indicated. A few days later we received the terminal and I found out he had us sign a contract, and we were stuck for 3 years. For three years, I was the person who called. When I tried to cancel, they said I wasn’t on the account and refused to speak to me. When we did a conference call, then I was told the term was now four years. When I asked for a copy of the contract, he told me they couldn’t fax. After we asked for his name and employee ID, he said he could fax. He never did. We tried twice to get a fax. That’s where I’m at now. Wish me luck. They cost us more than we ever made using their service.

1

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

Our contract with Crescent ended and we switched to a different processing company about two years ago. Well for those two years they continued to charge us the monthly processing fee. We’ve called countless times and have gotten no where with their terrible customer service. The CSR’s are poorly trained, rude, and entirely unhelpful. Most recently they told us they would be charging us $700 for the machine we leased and have here waiting to be returned to them as soon as they send us the shipping label. Alas we are still awaiting our label and debating closing out our business account to stop them from charging us for services we haven’t used in two years. We’re still hoping to get this resolved so we don’t have to do that and inconvenience our customers but its looking like we won’t have a choice.

1

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

I just tried to cancel my service with crescent processing & was told it would cost me $350 to cancel outside of my renewal month. Since I have fulfilled my original 4 year commitment I feel that this is a very unfriendly way to conduct business. I also think that this was not fully communicated to me at the time I started. I would not recommend doing business with this company.

1

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

Crescent Processing deducted $1170.00 from my bank account saying it was duplicate transactions. My customers and their banks have proof that the money was deducted the day the card was swiped in my office and never re-deposited. Crescent Processing will not resolve this issue and I don’t seem to have any recourse.

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

Crescent is such horrible service, the flash rate fees approximate about 4.0 % weigh higher than any other merchants service that I had known. I changed to bbva compass bank with flash rate fees is 1.92% which saving for my business several thousands dollars yearly. I am very satisfy with bbva compass bank service when ever you are looking for help they will coming to your business without hesitate. ( helping and solving your problem with technical issue, or any question concern)they are the best.Talking about crescent service (omg )Customer service is worst experience that I ever encounter with. I asked them for my last year tax form. You know this month is February we need file the tax for employee and the answer is wait until the April, that sounds are ridiculous to me, because it is too late for the other employees file their own taxing. Think before you stay with them.

1

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

I recently learned that they have been charging me $25 per month for minimum balance fee. They require $1500 in cc sales per month in order to waive this fee. Being a somewhat seasonal business, approximately 3-4 months of the year we would be charged this fee. The rest of the year we meet this requirement. Unbeknownst to me, I have been charged $25 every month since I signed on with Crescent (currently known as Future Payment Technologies). When asked about this error, they told me that they are only obligated to refund up to 3 months as stated on page 10 of the terms and conditions. I would like to know how many other people have experienced this. This is stealing in every definition of the word! Their statement does not disclose the breakdown of ALL the fees, you have to log in online and go to the detail link to review all the fees. I am extremely unhappy and would love a lawyer to take them on for us little folk.

2

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

This depends on your contract terms. If you have an early termination fee in your contract, you will either have to pay it or find a new processor who will pay it for you. If you have an equipment leasing agreement, there is usually no way to get out of that, but you can continue to use the equipment with a new processor. You wont have to worry about legal recourse on their part unless you refuse to pay whatever fees are assessed against you upon cancellation. In that case, you would be taken to collections but probably not sued.

I am a merchant that uses crecent processing, At first I can tell you we were mislead by the sales rep that had limited knowledge at best. She had to call her manager several times for basic questions and went off our rates to beat our current rate (the rate she had on the paper originally was higher than my rate was) She then told me the rates for phone orders and how she told me is this is the only rate plus .25 per transaction I will use random rates for explanation. She said our normal rate was 1.25% for swiped transactions and .33% for business cards and .75% for phone orders. I asked her why it was lower for business cards and phone orders and she said because it costs them less so it costs me less; however when I get my bill I find out this was in addition to my 1.25% fee so a phone order would be 2%. I kept my service with them and I can say I am very happy with them, there have been 3 of their machines that have broken down while I was using them from general use or bad equipment (I have used them for 5 years now) they have tried to charge me $75 one of these times but I argued with them that they made me lose business since I had to use carbon copies and it took several extra hours with customers and punching in the orders into the machine after I got it from them. They have always been there to help me out with to cancel an authorization and assist in a charge back. I am even more happy with them since I had another merchant try to get me to switch and when I called to cancel crecent they lowered my fees and I stayed with them. (the other company is Securus which is a horrible company I cancelled the first day (and in NC you have 3 days since they are a door to door salesman instead they would not cancel my account and charged my bank 90 dollars 3 time until I cancelled that bank account thankfully I did just in time because the next month they attempted to charge me a $400 cancellation fee but was denied since I cancelled that bank account then they attempted to send me to collections with their other company which may be a parent company for Securus, First Data Merchant, I sent them my documentation showing I cancelled and after sending me bills for 3 months they told me they would send me to collections, I sent them the paperwork again and then they sent me to collections where I then sent supporting documents to the collection agency who then cancelled the claim.

4

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

I am in the middle of the same problems others have complained about. We finally went to our lawyer and he advised us to report this to the police and then they police would notify the prosecuting Attorny. I was told that this is a clear case of fraud . Tomorrow we will be contacting the state police.

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

I was Starting a business a few years back and spoke to a Crescent Agent. I was told that is was $6.35 per month for 1 year. After the year I sent back the reader which was outdated anyway because I did not use it. WELL. Crescent then informed me that I was on a Four year contract. After returning the reader the fee went up to $over $33 a month for non usage and I dont even have the reader. What A JOKE This company also Trained their agents to LIE, I found the after trying for a few months and I finally found her IN JAIL WHERE I VISITED HER. The Skinny is They told her to be DECEPTIVE. and said there is no way the give back charge is applicable. She was nice and I feel She was deceived as well. She said her training was done by a VIDEO DVD and they MADE her Pay to be a REP. They Pressured her for SALES DAILY AND THREATENED TO Terminate her unless sales no matter how she got em were MANDATORY to keep her JOB. NOW I have paid over $1500 for a lie. Anyone Want to start a class action Suit? I have the sales rep to testify about their deceptive Practices. Anyone interested EMAIL ME at yankees4ever@comcast.net

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

This company is a joke they will screw you any way they can. Even after dropping the company they have changed there name to keep withdrawing from my account thank god I have a good bank and they have reversed all amounts. But continued to get screwed from them in last 3 yrs, I RECOMMEND NEVER HAVING THIS COMPANY EVER!

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

An update on Crescent …. it has now changed it’s name to Future Payment Technologies. My wife had a call from a rep trying to switch her merchant services to this company, and she asked me to sit in on the “presentation”. The rep was a poorly educated young lady that my wife felt a great deal of empathy for, but she arrived with no printed material to leave behind, no business card, and no training of significance. They had provided a device to show us a slick video presentation which didn’t provide much information. The sales rep then called in to her manager on her phone and put us on speaker phone to “answer our questions”, after which she was hoping to write up a contract and we would go over the details on the phone with her manager on a recorded call. The contract would be a 48 month contract, so that part hasn’t changed. He said they would buy out any old contract, but failed to mention on the phone that they limit that to $195, which is credited back to you spread out over 4 months. This information was in the Standard Fee Schedule, and is subject to certain terms and conditions.

I googled the internet for reviews of Future Payment Technologies, and failed to find them anywhere. They proclaimed to be one of the “top 3” companies in the country on the conference call, but I had never heard of them. In trying to find out more about them, they weren’t listed anywhere on any website reviewing merchant services providers. That is when I found a web article that mentioned that Crescent has changed its name to Future Payment Technologies.

One of the things they also attempted was a bit of a scare tactic. Supposedly the new requirements to accept cards with microchips starting in 2015 will result in a shortage of equipment that can process those cards (now being used in Europe) so the merchant should go ahead and lease the terminal now so they aren’t stuck and unable to get one in 2015 that will protect them from liability (these are all their words). I am not sure that I believed any of this, but it might push others to make a decision to lease a terminal for $30 per month for a 48 month contract.

Thanks for your website. I found it to be very enlightening.

Mark Hayes, DVM

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

I just had a salesman meet with me yesterday. I could not wait until he left to look up what I knew would be horrible reviews on this company. How did I know? His business card states he is a regional manager, yet he had to call his supervisor for answers to half my questions. Secondly, he had no literature to provide me with and stated the company does not provide written rate/fee information. I told him I could not do any cost comparison with other companies without fees and rates in writing. His answer to me was they were the cheapest. Third, he quoted me 2.25% on transactions, then after speaking to his supervisor told me the rate would be 1.64% on transactions with a monthly service fee of $12.50 because I would qualify for the Cost Plus Program. When I asked to him explain his programs he couldn’t and just simply stated the Cost Plus Program is the best for me. He said there were no additional fees AT ALL and no minimum amount I would have to meet on monthly transactions. He also said my monthly transaction rate would fluctuate based on the interchange rate….he couldn’t tell me what the interchange rate meant or what it was. I asked for local references and he gave them to me but I never called them. He provided me with NO REAL information, no literature, no contract to review, and was visibly upset when I didn’t want to fill out an application to sign up. RUN!!!!!!!

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

I to have had the experience of being lied to by the sales rep and I asked several questions which I made a list of and had the sales rep int. When I called to complain about the contract which was different than the one I signed I was brushed off with we charge lower rates and free equipment. I expect to be told the truth and when the salesman int. and agrees and than it is still changed there is a problem. I am going to cancel but I am using a lawyer and I am going to go to court over this. I know the cost is high but someone has to stand up for is right. I will tell you IF YOU SIGN UO WITH THESE GUYS YOU WILL REGRET IT.

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

This is by far the worst company ever! It took weeks to terminate account after being lied to about fees. Finally closed account in March 2013 then again in April 2013 after being charged again. We are now in August and still being charged and they are refusing to refund. I have turned them in to bank for theft and the BBB. Next the court!!!

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

Had their services for four years. I had signed up for a one year contract. I called them in April of this year because we had chosen another credit card processing company, they told us our contract was up in the end of May so great, sent in my cancellation letter in June with my equipment and they just called to inform me of an early termination charge, that at the end of my contract it automatically renews for a year. So now they want to charge a $495 early termination penalty. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY there are better companies out there!

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

I want to thank all the people who have taken the time to comment. I was contacted by phone a couple of days ago and visited by a rep today. He told me the video presentation on his computer would contain the specifics of the contract. In fact it was an infomercial. He was vague on some terms, and called his supervisor to ask some questions, so I figured he was very new and nervous; I didn’t realizde until the end that he was not an employee. He said there would be a one-year contract and (when I asked specifically) a $250 cancellation fee, but that rather than cancel I could just let the contract run out– nothing about automatic renewal. I won’t repeat all the details, but I was unhappy about the lack of specificity, and the suggestions that various fees would “probably” be waived, so I decided to check Crescent’s reviews before going further. I’m glad I did. Thanks again

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

My sales rep was great. But there is no way I will use this company. He told me that the bad reviews were from their competitors. I’m sure he was told that. He was not a hard closer either. I think I might offer him a sales position with my company.

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

We were encouraged to change our merchant account by a National Federation of Independent Business representative at least 4 years ago and possibly longer. They are not our website processing company but we did use them for local business, farmer’s market business and large shows. They’ve added fees here and there, but as one other reviewer mentioned, we were not concerned about them at the time. Our farmer’s market business has picked up considerably and we needed something that we could use at the market, so I faxed a letter to them on July 2nd telling them that we no longer needed their services and to please confirm receipt of our request that day. Knowing that they have never contacted us about anything, I wasn’t really surprised that I didn’t get a confirmation call or letter and decided to just make sure they didn’t deduct a monthly fee. We haven’t used their services in months, as we changed to Square. The next thing we know a Fed Ex guy is at the door with a pickup request from Crescent. We didn’t have a box ready since we didn’t know he was coming and asked him to come the next day. The next day was the 4th of July and they didn’t work that day, so he came and picked up the equipment today, July 5th. We were looking at our back accounts online and saw that they had automatically deducted $495 from our account – no letter, no call, no nothing. I know we’ve been with them for at least 4 years because I have statements dating back that far – before they stopped sending statements. If this was a truly legitimate company with sound business practices, someone would have either called or written explaining that #1 – they received our letter, #2 – because of that they would be sending a Fed Ex person to pick up the equipment, #3 – they would be charging an early cancellation fee and why. None of that, of course, happened. So, I called today and got someone on the phone who quite arrogantly said – well, of course, that’s an early cancellation fee. I explained that we had been with them at least 4 years and could he please tell me what date our contract started? He said, no, he couldn’t do that. I said I would appreciate receiving a copy of our contract for our attorney to look at immediately. After a short, unpleasant conversation about their business practices, he said he “could” send the copy of the contract. I subsequently stopped payment on the $495 until we can get this resolved. What company does business like that?! They’ve received way more back from us in fees than that out-dated swiper ever cost. We don’t receive statements anymore and I was told that was because they are doing everything “online”. I accepted that as normal. It occurred to me at some point during all of these years that I have no actual documentation – NONE – of what amounts were processed except a monthly amount with no documentation about individual charges with names and/or amounts and/or at least the last four of the card # charged. NORMAL practices by companies who practice fairly and decently. This company does not routinely or EVER communicate with their customers, other than automatically deducting their monthly fees – that says volumes alone. I will be filing a complaint with any and every agency I can possibly think of. It’s time that companies who do business like this one are shut down. There are far too many legitimate, honest, and secure options available now.

Ann

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

UPDATE ON MY PREVIOUS COMMENT: I called Crescent about the “new” fees. Actually they were NOT new fees. The “Interchange Assessment Paid” was what was formerly the added discount for Mid- and Non-qualified transactions. The “Cost Plus Merchant Discount Rate Income” was what was formerly called the “NABU pass-through”. So I feel better about that.

I believe they need to work a little more on communication with their merchants. Bill Schell

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

I have been using Crescent Processing since September, 2006. I have a good discount rate. My equipment is free. I have basically not had any problems with their service. I am not a high-volume account.

I do get bothered by extra fees that they just add in whenever. There was a “Card Data Security Fee” for $89.00, which was converted into an $8.95 monthly fee. There are other small fees such as “Visa Acq Fee” and “Mastercard NABU Pass through”. Three new ones recently added are “Cost Plus Merchant Discount Rate Income”, “Visa Fixed Network Fee”, and “Interchange Assessment Paid”.

While I do not like these surprises, I understand the reason for some of these. And considering my free equipment, low discount rate, and the fact that I am not a high-volume dealer: I am mostly OK with that. These fees do seem to be increasing lately, which might cause me to explore my options.

Bill Schell

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

Hi, came across a sales ad which looked way to good to be true and really appreciate all the client testimonials on here which clearly demonstrate the underhanded nature of the company and the principals and employees. The post’s by the shill’s and alleged “rep’s” are bogus attempts to mitigate true concerns voiced by the victims of the shady and most likely illegal sales practices of Crescent, I would file an FTC Complaint and look for a decent Class Action suit. As a stressed out of work salesman who is seeking clarity in a murky business, again, thanks a million for the input and time saving due diligence you have posted and done, God Bless you and all the victims. PS in Orlando and like the business model, any idea’s or insight would be greatly appreciated assuming one can still compete with the big banks. Dave G.

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I’m a CPC customer since October 2010. I agree and can relate to many of the negative comments already posted here. My sleezy salesman misinformed me in so many ways. I was promised a buyout from my previous contract that never happened. I was told CPC had a one year contract with a $250 early termination. They charged me a $50 equipment swap fee just because I called to get the equipment working again. I had a nightmare of a time during the Christmas break of 2010 when the refurbed card machine they gave me broke. All my transactions during the down time weren’t being batched, and CPC just sat on my money. I had to do all of the reconciling, received my money in partial pays over the span of 4 months, and easily 48 hours of wait time on hold.

I will be leaving CPC asap!

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So i was looking in the work ads on craigslist and found CPC and i called to see what it was about, it sounds good…tho im a little unsure with everything ive been reading and would like some feedback if you have worked for CPC let me know about your experience

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BELOW IS A COPY OF A LETTER I SENT CRESCENT PROCESSING TODAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2012:

â€œI am providing your company with more than 30-daysâ€™ notice that we will NOT be renewing our contract with your company for merchant processing effective immediately. After May 22, 2012, we will not be requiring your companyâ€™s services. We are appalled at the service we DID NOT receive from your company in that we were 1) not notified by anyone that there was a large chargeback on our account; 2) even though I provided our correct address to your company many times, our merchant statements were sent to the wrong address, thus we never received any documentation your company states they sent to us regarding the chargeback; and the â€œmotherâ€ of them all; 3) â€œitâ€™s not our job to inform youâ€ is what I was told by two of your managers; if you want their names, your Contract Department can look that up in their notes, if they took them. That is not customer service and I will make sure everyone on Facebook, BBB, Yellowpages, etc. knows what your company told us.â€

The transaction date was 1/16/2011; the posting date was 11/17/2011; Received date was 01/20/2012; the resolved date was 01/24/2012 (which we knew NOTHING about because we never received any notification letters or phone calls to let us know there was a chargeback on our account). My secretary was reviewing our merchant statement when she saw a $10 retrieval charge and called them to find out what that was for and they told her it was for a chargeback. We had no idea there was such a chargeback and when asked why they did not notify our company, they said they did, which they really didnâ€™t. I asked them if they sent letters or called and they said they sent letters to 2420 Irving Blvd., Dallas, Texas 75207. That was our previous address and I informed them that we moved last August to 2460 Irving Blvd. They said that even though their system reflected our correct address when I asked them to provide me with what they had down as our present address, they still had us down at 2420 according to their letter, to which I replied that was not our fault they did not have their act together. [edit: name removed] said that they sent letters twice and twice they were returned. I then asked why didnâ€™t they just call and inform us about what was going on if they received two returned letters; she did not have an answer. They processed the charge for $2,508.69, took the fees in connection with the charge, and then applied a chargeback. I had my secretary call them on 01.27.12 to request a copy of the letter to which we received, complied with their request for proof such as the signed credit card receipt for goods and a copy of the invoice, which is what they wanted all before 02.05.12 which was our given deadline. After all of that, the client STILL kept the money, Crescent STILL kept our processing fees for doing nothing but giving the customer his money back, then [edit: name removed] boss came on the phone and threatened to keep the rest of the credit card charges unrelated to this client in suspense. They said the reason for giving the client his money back was because we were not compliant with the request for proof, I told them I complied with what they wanted and then they said we were scammed. I am disgusted with Crescent. Please help!

I want the charge reversed and back into my account, I would like to get my money back for processing fees and I would like out of my contract.

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I think you did a lot of people at CPC a disservice by the way you formatted your information. I’m looking for work and was contacted by CPC for a sales rep position. Although you pointed out that interested parties should read all the information you provided, the comments from Bonnie Sherman should have been displayed somewhere on the first page. Just like the complaint from the customer that said the contract was 21 pages and too much to read (which I agree with) most people are not going to read all the comments you provided. I had almost decided to look elsewhere for employment after reading so many disparaging remarks. I decided to read eveything and I came upon Bonnie Shermans’ commentary that stated that all of the complaints in totality far less than 1% of the 71,000 customers. You know, as well as I, that if you had mentioned this on your first page, no one would have had to read much farther. Although your unhappy customers probably had some legitimate complaints, how many companies that you investigate have a 99% approval rating? You have done this company wrong with the way you displayed it.

Larry Hendel New Jersey

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I was a rep for this company for less than a month. When they finally decided to pay me for the sale that I made on Dec 14, on January 4th, they took out so many fee’s it truly wasn’t worth the time I had invested. I am a big girl, and can accept, I made a mistake and didn’t do my homework before signing with this company, but they truly misrepresented themselves. The final straw was when [edited: name removed] (my manager) told me the leads they provided, and I was expected to run were no good. If they were any good, he wouldn’t need me he would close them over the phone. The computer they sent to be used for the ‘presentation, was embarrassing to show to customers, I am not a tech savvy person, but I think the laptop was older than my 13 year old son (his estimation, not mine)! I don’t know what they are like as a customer, but I am sure I will find out, the one account I did sign was a friend of mine. So very glad I didn’t dig any deeper into my warm market, Crescent is definitely not a company I want to be associated with.

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Wow, Thank you for providing a venting forum on Crescent Processing. If you are a new vendor looking for a Credit Card Processing company. DO NOT SIGN UP WITH CRESCENT PROCESSING!!! They are the worst.

During the 3 years that I used them, Hidden charges of over $600 was racked up at mysterious times throughout the year.

I called at the end of the 2nd year and asked to close my account with them. I was informed of the $495.00 cancellation fee and was told if I continued for 1 more year and made sure to write a letter within 3 to 4 weeks before my anniversary the following year for the cancellation, I would not have to pay the penalty. So, since it was less expensive to pay a years worth of processing fees, than the $495, I elected to stay on another year. Mind you, I put their machine in a drawer and never used it for the entire year.

Well, come time to cancel this year, I wrote the letter and sent it off. Against their word, they charged me the $495 for early cancellation!!! I got duped!

To pour more salt in the wound, I just noticed they are still charging me the monthly transaction fee because I the cancellation was on the third of the month and the billing was on the second of the month.

There are a lot of better processing companies out there. Do your homework and read every word of the contract or they will sting you for outrageous processing fees.

I will not endorse any company in this review, just let you know to not use Crescent Processing, they are the worst and once you have signed the contract, there is no out except for maybe filing bankruptcy.

Good luck.

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We keep getting solicitation calls from this company even though we have asked to be put on a no call list. This has been going on for months. We get at least four calls a week from them. Now, they are saying that they will not respect our request to be put on a no call list unless the request comes from the owner.

So, we did have them talk to the owner and he asked them to be put on a no call list and they still tried to sell him on processing credit cards, which he was not interested in.

Even after all this, I still got a call from them this morning. This is absurd! What else can we do?

1

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Within the past years,i had to change three waysystem manchines and non had been able to take the slidding or automatic reading on the cards.I had to key the numbers in when ever i run a transaction. I have so far returned two manchines with similar problems and the third i got now is also acting the same way .It stared by sending the transaction to offline mode.Consequently,most of the transactions were never authorized.After several complains,some numbers were manipulated from the processing office to tell me that i was paid.I am not sure how that was done in the processing center. This third manchine is doing the same things not accepting transactions.It sent me on offline mode when i ran transactions on it.When i checked they were not authorized and i have an amount nearly five hundred dollars sitting on the table now. I have contacted every conceivable number that i got and the end results is nothing but run around for the past two weeks.When i look into my bank account,there are necessary charges from this crescent processing company which i don’t understand. Can some one be bold enough to tell me;hey!!guy we don,t want to do business with you any more instead of these run around tactics.The current problem reading on the screen says PIN blocked it continued to read enter PUK and the people associated with this process,no one can understand the meaning of this and so they keep handing the phone on me.I need this money to my bank now.

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

I signed up for CPC in 2007. After being a good customer the economy took a dive and I had to cancel my account. The nice lady told me she would send a call tag for the equipment and all sounded great. The tag didn’t come and 2 weeks later I called to notify them about it and get another one sent. Another nice lady sent another one. At NO time did they tell me that 14 days after the original call they would wipe out my bank account for $700 that I didn’t have. Causing $66 in NSF fees. They also didnt tell me that there automated system would continue to try to deduct $222 at a time till they got to the $700 or the box back causing another $23 NSF fee each time. I called the company flaming mad that what little money I had is now gone + 100’s more to say that this was there mistake for not sending out the call tag the 1st time I called, or to notify me to make sure it got sent in before 14 days.

They told me too bad that they would not compensate me for the NSF fees and that I should remember what the rep told me back in 2007 about the time limit. ( not sure that they ever told me back then )

Had a dickens of a time getting a supervisor on the line and once I did get [name removed] on the line he informed me that he was not going to help me that it is company policy not to give any compensations for any mistakes and that he was the end of the line for any complaints. That I would never be able to contact his boss who apparently is the CEO ( guess there is no supervisor above him and below [name removed] ) I asked who he would report to when he made mistakes ( cause we are all human and make a mistake from time to time ) and he told me that he never makes mistakes and that although most humans do he is above human. He did concede that the worst mistake he has made at work would be to drop a pencil. Wow what an arrogant ass. He made sure that he let me know that he makes a ton of money and that taking up an hour of his time was costly. He also told me that IF I was to contact [name removed] that he would not listen to his voice mail and just send it to [name removed] anyway so why try. Well company directory is a wondrous thing and I did find [name removed] VM and leave a long message. I am guessing he will not really listen to it but he it was worth a try. So for thouse of you looking for a good number try 1-877-233-3376 and use the company directory.

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I agree with Diana. I trusted them to tell me the truth; stupid me! The contract I signed had mysteriously accumulated a number of extra fees from the time I signed it until they sent me a copy! When I called to ask about all the extras, I was assured that these did not apply to my agreement but were just listed as the normal terms of the agreements; I had a ‘special’ deal. All I can say is “Shame on me. I believed them twice”.The 1.59% rate that I was promised appears to apply to all cards except the ones that are actually used by customers. When I asked the company about this I was told that the sales rep should have told me about this. Huh; no kidding??!!I see where the sales pitch of outstanding customer service comes from!Mr Merchant Maverick, you were not too hard on this company.

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A sales rep came by the salon today and everything sounds too good to be true. I am reading so much about all the complaints that Crescent Processing has. Should I sign up with them and assume that their product is worth using or should I listen to others and not trust them.

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It seems as if the only positive responses are from employees or agents from this company. As far as the confirmation call, the person says the same thing as the rep that is in your business. They do not inform you of the hidden fees or the contract. After speaking to a customer service person, I was told that the contract was sent with the equipment, it was the customers responsibility to read the contract. That may be true, but you have to disclose the information up front. I have yet to receive a contract. You cannot continually place the blame on your independent contractors (Sales reps). This company is a scam and needs to be shut down.

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i also see that it is common to blame the merchant for not checking out the company before the salesman came, well i guess that is a conveniet way to say we can cheat you because you failed to check us out first. I was raised to be honest and i expect the same from people i deal with. being deceptive just because you can is not right. this is my first experience witha credit card processing company and need I say my last. I will never trust any one again.

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I see that the review blames the individual sales person for the deceptive sales pratices. the only thing is the sales rep was always in constant contact with is rep at the company the entire time he was at my place. he got OK from his boss for every thing he said he was offering me. there were hidden costs, the contract offerd me was 2 yrs but 6 months later they tell me it was 4 yrs there is a clause hidden in the contract that they can add fees as needed without notice. and believe me they do add fees. and lots of them. they hold your money on sales and may say that a fee is waived and later it shows up again. i never dealt with such a dishonest bunch of people in my life. because of them i have closed my shop.

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The sales rep gave me a notarized statement about all the charges and contract term he thought he was selling me. they added a corporate fee, some other fee monthly fee and changed the terms of the contract from 2 yrs to 4 yrs when I got the copy in the mail. They will not stand behind anything the rep said, and the rep was new and calling his boss as he was making me the offers so don’t tell me they are innocent.

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I have been a sales rep with Crescent Processing Company for over 3 years, and I am dismayed by what I am reading on this site. I believe you have been very unfair in your rating, Mr. Merchant Maverick, and I would like to address some of the issues I see here:

1) If this was ebay, you would see the number of complaints, but you would also see the number of customers total, and the rating displayed as a percentage. To date, Crescent has had over 71,170 merchants sign up; you saw 171 complaints. That is the equivalent of an ebay approval rating of 99.8%

2) Cancellation fee: Any company’s “early termination fee” can be looked at as a “buy out”. Crescent will pay quite a bit of money (minimum $250, I have seen amounts higher than this reimbursed) to reimburse a client for their cancellation fee with another company. Other companies do that also, so it is not necessarily out-of-pocket for the merchant. If the merchant goes out of business, there is NO fee. I very frequently encounter cancellation fees equal to and much higher than Crescent’s! Sometimes $35/month for the remaining term! Some may have lower cancellation fees, but there are trade-offs, as was mentioned in some of the narrative above. Besides free equipment, many of the merchants I have signed up have had “minimum processing” fees waived, whereas most other companies require at least $25/mo. in “discount” paid. This is only one example of other ways Crescent saves the merchant money.

3) Testimonials – General testimonials on the web are, in my opinion, meaningless. You get one friend to do a testimonial and “voile”. It is very true that Crescent, as a company, is not at liberty to give out merchant information any more than if you asked your local banker for the names of some satisfied customers. HOWEVER, a much more POWERFUL tool is references that the reps themselves have permission to use. These personal references should be able to vouch for both the COMPANY AND THE REP!!! I have a long list of merchants who have processed with Crescent for a long time, and who have given permission for me to not only name them, but will speak to whoever would like to call them. (Contact me, Mr. Merchant Maverick, and I will instantly provide you with 20 names)

4)Term length – Many of my applications include notes in which the company has agreed to reduce the initial term down as low as 2 years. Any concessions on the part of the company to deviate from the “standard” terms get written into the notes and become part of the Agreement. By the way, the Application does not become an Agreement until activating the terminal.

5) Hidden fees – you are absolutely right when you address the issue of the sales rep him/herself. While it is true that the company does, at the end of the application process, do a “confirmation” phone call with the merchant, it is like any other sales situation. The salesperson must completely understand the fees involved themselves, and also must be able to communicate those fees correctly to the merchant. The merchant must also “HEAR” everything the sales rep says and understand it!! I explain everything in great detail. Yet, sometimes, I get misquoted or misunderstood, or told I didn’t say something I know I did (because I do every time, day in and day out). It is a lot of information for the merchant to take in sometimes, and I’ve hear it said that humans have to hear information about 5 times for it to stick It is true that the integrity of the sales rep comes into play; but that is true with every company involved in sales!!!! The fact that reps are working independently all over the country, and not reporting to a physical office, does make it a little trickier for the company to train its reps; but I found them to be very effective using company laptops programmed with presentation AND training material, and conference calling. Additionally, each rep has a corporate manager who assists in ongoing training.

Mr. Merchant Maverick, ultimately, your system of star rating is a reflection of YOUR HUMBLE OPINION in light of the research YOU have done. That is subject to all of your strengths AND weaknesses. It is not like the sum of right answers on a multiple choice test! Sincerely, Bonnie Sherman New York

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Hi Bonnie. I have been reading a lot about Crescent and I am so confused. I am about to start as a sales rep, but now I am having second thoughts. After reading hours worth of reviews I just don’t know what to believe and I am not in a position to waste time if this company is as bad as people are saying they are. Can you please email me and tell me if you are still working with them and if you honestly recommend the job? I would be so grateful to you! Thank you so much! Brandy Reed rprmedia@yahoo.com

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I have been with Crescent Processing (CPC) for a little over 3 years and a proud sales rep for this company. I understand that there are a wide variety of sales rep that candy coat the whole process to get u to sign. This is true to some degree, but to another degree its nearly all true and to be honest with u from a small business stand point its a very good idea to take advantage of a good thing. I own my own business also thanks to CPC i have them as my processing company also. So there u get my stand point from me on the issue altogether. I have several merchants that if asked u can call them and they will back up what i am telling you. Its always that one company that recieves the terms and conditions which is required for them to recieve before the sales rep leaves the company and in the phone call they are asked if they recieved a copy and they must acknowledge “yes” before anything else happens. That they dont read those terms and conditions and what happens is the second they feel they have been wrong my company gets the bad name because they are to lazy to read its everybody elses fault. Which evrybody on here that says that they didnt know about something they were signing is because they never took the time to read and ask questions. So let me ask You something if i have you sign a document and i promise to give you a million dollars now and when u die everything you own belongs to me and u agree and sign and recieve the money and then u die and everything u own belongs to me does that make me a bad person?? You signed it. You agreed…… Lets put blame where blame belongs people……

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i think you are counting on the fact that the document is 21 pages long and very hard to understand, that most merchants are not going to understand every thing in that document before they have to verify the sales call. yes lets do put the blame where it belongs on deceptive business practices that uses trickery and lots of long leagal explanations that no one really can understand. you count on that to trick people into believing what was said to them and then use this deceptive contract to trap them for 4 years.

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To anyone out there thinking of switching to Crescent please do your research before signing anything. My experience with Crescent has been nightmarish to say the least. First after giving the sales rep our company name, signing off on it the contract arrived with the wrong name with the account set up that way. It took 2 weeks to get it straight just so customer receipts actually said our name. Customer service was not helpful at all, we had to literally sign agreements 3 times just to get it right. Our online gateway is still not set up for our shopping cart even though the sales rep said it would be and he even called corporate to confirm. After hours of phone calls to Crescent and the actual companies that handle the processing which Cresecent doesn’t do. I came to find out that their 3rd party vendors are not compatible with my shopping cart. Their response since they care so much is that we should spend the money to revamp our whole store even though we are successful with what we have. This company should be investigated for it’s blatant lies and deceit of customers. Ethically immoral and its scary that companies like this exist.

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My wife met W/ a sales rep. from C.P.C. @ her business this morning. She just dropped off the information to me . I will put this simply, if a service sounds to good to be true in the sales pitch nine times out of ten it is .The info. from C.P.C in front of me has an asteric stating that “some restrictions apply” next to ALL selling points. The only statements W/ out bullets are how they will make me feel, how they me look, and that I will be a client for life. The complaints I have found on line and W/ the B.B.B. are mainly to do W/ areas that “restrictions apply” WHAT you are paying for and HOW you will be charged. Under Industry facts every statement was foot noted to be from The Nilson Report (OCT.2006-DEC.2006) it is almost OCT 2010 and the world has dramatically changed. All of the statements above are fact. Based on the high number of complaints dealing W/ C.P.C. pings and the lack of customer service on the back end I will encourage my wife to take a pass on this.

Merchant Maverick, Thanks for the link to the B.B.B. it is a clear sign of your proffessional & transparency.

J. McVay

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WOW! I’ve read a lot of reviews that i “googled up”. I was surprised and a bit shocked. However, I did not do much do-diligence before signing up as a sales rep for Cresent Processing.

I’ve had 2 clients simply pour over the contracts and charges. We discussed them all. I was as honest as anyone can be about the charges. I do not want any of my customers to get ripped off by my company. But more than that, I don’t want them coming back @ me for false claims and misinformation…just to get the signature.

Most of the reviews I read referenced either a bad/misrepresented/false sales presentation or a customer that did not ask all the questions. Yes, each customer goes thur a recorded phone verification going over all the charges for features chosen. The are also asked if they have any questions before completing the order/phone call. I’ve been a rep now for a mere 2 weeks. I’m finding merchants are very quick to question each and every penny being charged them and fail to realize that Cresent is a business offering services. Cresent must charge for services in order to stay alive. Shoot, merchants charge for services….but they fail to realize that Cresent has to also.

I agree with you Maverick. Web site testimonials would be a HUGE plus. One prospect asked my manager for local customers to verify/call. My manager told them that Cresent is a “bank” of sorts (she interpreted his comment…so don’t hold ME to that) and could NOT give out customer info….THAT seemed a bit strange to me.

As a sales rep, I didn’t do my homework either. I may not have signed on…not sure. I know you can’t please everyone…but seeing some POSITIVE testimonials would be HUGE for all involved.

Just my thoughts. Patrick Austin Alhambra, IL

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

I was recently visited by a sales rep from Crescent. While I find that the sales process is made pretty easy, I did have a feeling in my gut that there was more to the story than I was being told. I have been using merchant services through my bank for some time and have been very pleased. I found the offer through Crescent to be “too goo to be true.” After reading several reviews, not just this one, I think I will pass on any further dealings with Crescent. I feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to read some of these comments. Thanks for doing your due diligence!!!

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“I wasn’t able to find any testimonials on their site, which would do wonders in helping to counter the online complaints.”

First of all, the company does a four minute presentation to the merchant during the presentation face to face on a laptop featuring NFL HOF quarterback Terry Bradshaw as well as testimony’s from merchants….

Second of all, anyone with just a little internet savy knows there are a lot of “scamming” websites who let people post what they want to about anyone and any company, but if you will pay the “scamming” website, they will take the negative stuff off. Can you say extortion??? That is how those “scamming” websites make their money…and they make a lot of money doing just this! Not all of them do, but a lot if not most of them do!

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I’m assuming you’re either a rep for Crescent, or possibly someone high up. Either way, I think your full name, would give much more validity to your comments, but I’ll get to that later. I first want to respond to some of your remarks.

No where did I see on here where you mention that a confirmation call is made after the sign up process is completed and before the equipment is shipped making sure the merchant understands everything.

That’s great to know. You can rest assured that that fact will be included when I update your review. It’s be great to know how effective that recording is, but I’ll only be able to find that out by asking a few of your merchants myself.

Ah, you did clarify that most of the compliants are â€œex sales repsâ€. Maybe they are the unethical ones you are talking about that got caught misleading a merchant during the confirmation call.

Not sure how we disagree on this point, so I’ll just leave it at that.

You mention that the $495 cancellation fee is high considering some donâ€™t have one at all, but you failed to mention that this company gives the merchant the equipment for FREE and this company keeps the equipment in compliance with VISA/Master Card and othersâ€¦.So those companyâ€™s who lease the equipment for 48 months which can cost as much as $2,000+ dollars during those 48 months and then sale the lease agreement to a third party or those who charge $700-$1,200 dollars for the equipment donâ€™t charge as much for the cancellation fee BECASUE THEY GET THEIR MONEY UPFRONTâ€¦ Yes they are some who sell some equipment for less that $700 dollars, but the equipment, well, you get what you pay for! Yes, this company offers the equipment for FREE and they keep it in compliance. All they ask you to do is use their service for 48 months, but yes, you are right, they have been known to negotiate it down to 3 years and even 2 years for some so this company simply keeps you from paying upfront for quality equipment, but if you try and take their equipment and not use their service they will charge for itâ€¦.and rightfully so! So I would askâ€¦.would you rather pay $700 dollars or more upfront for quality equipment that is kept in compliance and have a lower cancellation fee or get the equipment at no cost upfront and pay a slighty higher cancellation fee?

I think you make a valid point here. There are cost trade-offs, especially when ISOs try to recoup their loss in one area when they compromise in another. With that said, early-cancellation fees are a very touchy subject with most merchants. Spend a little time reading the boards, and you’ll see that. Especially with card-not-present merchants that don’t even need terminals. Nevertheless, that $495 cancellation fee isn’t the biggest factor in your low score. It played a part, but not a large part.

Please clairfy your statements when you do your due diligence as well.

I believe that I’ve been pretty clear, so I’ll just go ahead and ignore this.

Oh yea, I almost forgot, you saidâ€¦â€¦.â€œI wasnâ€™t able to find any testimonials on their site, which would do wonders in helping to counter the online complaints.â€First of all, the company does a four minute presentation to the merchant during the presentation face to face on a laptop featuring NFL HOF quarterback Terry Bradshaw as well as testimonyâ€™s from merchantsâ€¦.

Correct, but you don’t have any visible testimonials on your site. According to what you’re saying, the only time that a merchant will see any testimonials will be during the sales process. That’s a start, but why can’t we see any ahead of time? If you were to email all of your customers right now, and have them leave fully disclosed testimonials on my site, that would be great, and would probably increase your score.

In regards to the Terry Bradshaw endorsement; It’s great that you have him as a spokesperson, but I don’t see how that gives you any credibility with the average merchant.

Second of all, anyone with just a little internet savy knows there are a lot of â€œscammingâ€ websites who let people post what they want to about anyone and any company, but if you will pay the â€œscammingâ€ website, they will take the negative stuff off. Can you say extortion??? That is how those â€œscammingâ€ websites make their moneyâ€¦and they make a lot of money doing just this! Not all of them do, but a lot if not most of them do!

You’re absolutely right. That’s why I created this site. Although I use RipOffReport, the BBB and other “scam” sites to base part of my reviews on, I mainly created Merchant Maverick to allow for the conversations to eventually move onto my platform. That way, I have control of the positive and negative reviews, and I can police which comments are valid, and which ones aren’t. I don’t charge anyone for anything, and I don’t extort anyone for anything either. When someone comes to my site, and leaves an anonymous comment, I give it absolutely zero credit…including yours. If you are a rep for Crescent, and if you had left a comment on here with your name and contact info, then I would think to myself, “gee these guys really do care about their reputation,” but you didn’t do that.

I urge you to understand something. Merchant Maverick is going to be around for a while. It’s going to bring transparency to a market that has a bit of a bad name, which isn’t a bad thing for either party. Because you’ll finally have a decent platform by which to uphold your reputation as an ISO.

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

No where did I see on here where you mention that a confirmation call is made after the sign up process is completed and before the equipment is shipped making sure the merchant understands everything.

Yes, there is a recorded confirmation call for the protection of the merchant and for this company clarifying the rates and terms with this company.

Ah, you did clarify that most of the compliants are “ex sales reps”. Maybe they are the unethical ones you are talking about that got caught misleading a merchant during the confirmation call.

You mention that the $495 cancellation fee is high considering some don’t have one at all, but you failed to mention that this company gives the merchant the equipment for FREE and this company keeps the equipment in compliance with VISA/Master Card and others….

So those company’s who lease the equipment for 48 months which can cost as much as $2,000+ dollars during those 48 months and then sale the lease agreement to a third party or those who charge $700-$1,200 dollars for the equipment don’t charge as much for the cancellation fee BECASUE THEY GET THEIR MONEY UPFRONT…

Yes they are some who sell some equipment for less that $700 dollars, but the equipment, well, you get what you pay for!

Yes, this company offers the equipment for FREE and they keep it in compliance. All they ask you to do is use their service for 48 months, but yes, you are right, they have been known to negotiate it down to 3 years and even 2 years for some so this company simply keeps you from paying upfront for quality equipment, but if you try and take their equipment and not use their service they will charge for it….and rightfully so!

So I would ask….would you rather pay $700 dollars or more upfront for quality equipment that is kept in compliance and have a lower cancellation fee or get the equipment at no cost upfront and pay a slighty higher cancellation fee?

Please clairfy your statements when you do your due diligence as well.

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

Cel phone contracts are the same. Seems fair to me. Why would any company throw away equipment by giving it away without ensuring it will be paid for at some time? I’m in the process of maybe changing my merchant accout. The reviews scare me but the contract seems fair enough. Still need to do more research.

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.

@Clarity…..we were just charged an additional $1000.00 on top of the $495 cancellation fee because Crescent had not yet received the equipment I had returned via their own FedEx shipping label…so no the equipment is NOT free and it has to be returned according to our contract, so I’m not sure where you were trying to do with your comments but ahhh…you are wrong!

This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.